Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, life's been hard for me at the moment. I've had some emotional problems and was unable to write or do anything much for that matter. And of course by the time I get better life has to be a bitch again and break my mom's back in a car accident. I thank god that it wasn't worse but I've been worrying about her since then.
Yeah, anyway no need to rant right now. I don't like forcing my problems onto people, I know it's annoying. So enjoy the chapter and hopefully soon I'll have the next one up.
Love you all!
Also if you see any words that are misspelled please tell me and I will fix them when I get the time.
:3
Chapter 7- Pity Dance
Steam followed the colonel as he stepped out of the bathroom, towel wrapped tightly around his waist. He had stood in the shower for a half hour thinking about the situation, drawing out the few symbols he had seen in the notes on the shower door through the condensation. The symbols didn't look any more familiar even when he had looked at them until water droplets had washed them away.
With a small sigh Mustang walked quietly past his open study and into his bedroom. Just thinking of the tedious work before him made him shiver, but he had to do it for the brother's sake. He was never one for work of any sort but if it was this important he'd see it to the end.
As he got dressed the colonel heard a faint voice through the floor, too muffled to tell whose it was. He buttoned up his new, clean white shirt and listened hard for the voice to speak again. Instead of hearing a voice he heard the gentle creak of floor boards as someone walked over them. The colonel just assumed it was Alphonse and finished dressing, putting on a pair of baggy grey sweatpants and socks.
Mustang left his room, still hearing the floor boards creaking below, and closed his door with a faint squeak of the hinges. The creaking stopped, leaving the colonel confused, had they stopped because of the door? He shook his head, knowing that even though Al wasn't human he still had the same hearing as one. The colonel reached the stairs and jumped in shock at what he saw at the bottom.
Edward was sitting at the base of the stairs, ears perked up and his fluffy golden tail wrapped around his paws. His eyes never left Mustang as he walked slowly down the steps.
"Good to see you're awake Edward." He said casually, reaching the bottom step and looking down at the chimera. Ed continued to stare at the colonel for a few moments until he looked down at his paws. Before he could ask the chimera heaved himself up, legs shaking with the effort of lifting the suffering body attached to them. Once he was standing, legs still shaking, he looked up with triumph in his eyes.
"Can stand on own now." Edward said raising his head higher. The colonel smiled and walked down the final stair so he could stand next to Ed.
"Good job, but don't do anything you're not ready to do." Mustang warned, receiving a small huff from Ed.
"Know that." He flicked his tail and narrowed his eyes. "Just testing new legs."
Mustang watched as the chimera slowly turned around and, with his tail stuck high in the air, began to walk towards the couch where his brother sat. His legs were as unsteady as a newborn's but he seemed to be used to walking on all fours and didn't fall once. The colonel saw Al look up from sorting Tucker's notes to look at Ed as he stood proudly before him.
"Can walk now Al!" He barked, wagging his tail. His brother gently patted him on the head and his eyes glowed with pride.
"That's great brother." Al forced a happy tone into his voice as he looked up at Mustang, sorrow gleaming in his soulful eyes. The colonel nodded, telling Al he felt the same way. If Ed had never been turned into a chimera he wouldn't have had to learn how to walk on all fours.
"Great, that's great." Ed repeated happily, seeming not to notice the sad look passed between Mustang and his brother. Mustang looked away from Al and stared at Ed, why was he suddenly acting like a child? He seemed so out of character from the stubborn, proud teenager he was.
"Edward, are you okay? Do you need anything?" At the sound of his voice Ed turned his head, looking at him with hazy golden eyes. Something seemed to flash in the chimera's gaze but before the colonel could tell what it was it was gone.
"Thirsty." He stated after a small pause. Mustang nodded and turned toward the kitchen, feeling Ed's gaze burn into his back.
He walked across the shiny white linoleum towards the cupboard. The colonel began to reach up towards the one that held his glasses and mugs but stopped himself. Ed wouldn't be able to drink out of either of those now, his muzzle would get stuck in the narrow cylinders. With a sad sigh he opened the cupboard next to it and grabbed an old bowl.
"Colonel?" He nearly dropped the bowl at the morphed bark from behind. The colonel quickly composed himself and looked back over his shoulder at the chimera standing in the middle of the kitchen.
"Hello Ed, I'm getting you some water now." Mustang quickly turned around and turned the sink's cold water knob, holding the bowl under the faucet. Once the bowl was full he turned around, seeing that Edward hadn't moved, and placed the bowl in front of the chimera.
"Thanks." Ed said, lowering his head to lap gently at the water. After a second or two his lapping increased in speed as though he had just noticed how thirsty he was. As he drank the colonel could see sadness cloud the chimera's eyes and by the time the bowl was empty he was shaking.
"Edward, are you okay?" Mustang asked, walking over to Ed's side and moving over the empty bowl to kneel before him. The chimera looked up at him with eyes glistening with anguish.
"Hate this, feels weird." He whimpered, falling to the ground and curling up into a miserable heap of fur. "Know you both think the same thing."
Instantly Mustang knew what was going on. Edward had noticed the sad look shared between himself and Al; he knew that the two pitied him in the state he was in.
"Edward, don't worry. There's nothing we can do to fix this right now but give us time. We all want you back to being yourself but until then you have to be strong. We all have to accept what happened." The colonel placed his hand under Ed's chin while he was talking, staring at the chimera fiercely as he spoke.
This seemed to calm Edward and soon the determined look he always wore had returned. He shook himself and stood up, legs shaking less than before. The chimera looked up at him and nodded.
"Okay, I'll be strong."
